One of the most important actions any organization can take is to establish a strong focus on what they want to be and how they are going to get there. It is with this in mind that the City Council has placed considerable time and effort into adopting a mission statement, vision statement, values statement, and strategic goals for the City.

A regular question we have received when speaking about these items is "Isn't that what the comprehensive plan is for", in short, they work in coordination. To use a transportation metaphor, the comprehensive plan is the road map and the mission statement, vision statement, values statement, and strategic goals are used to decide which road to drive on. These items are shorter term in nature and are meant to be updated as needed to reflect the priorities, goals, and leadership of the organization. A brief description of each adopted item is below.

A mission statement is the purpose or role of the organization: a statement describing the organization's reason for existence. The following is the adopted mission statement for the City:

The City of Corcoran will provide high quality public services in a cost effective, responsible, and professional manner in order to create a preferred environment to live, work, play, and conduct business.

A vision statement is a mental picture of a possible or desirable future state of the organization. The adopted vision statement is below; four objectives are tied to this vision statement (service delivery, financial management, and two related to development):

The City of Corcoran will become a vibrant community focused around a thriving Town Center while preserving its natural character and agricultural roots.

A values statement describes those values that are fundamental to our organization's success and the fulfillment of our mission. The adopted values are: excellence and quality in the delivery of services, fiscal responsibility, ethics and integrity, open and honest communication, treating the citizen as our customer, professionalism, and equal opportunity.

Last but not least are the City's adopted strategic goals which outline our short-term priorities. These are: improve communications with the public; develop a mission, vision, values statement, and goals program; strengthen the City's commissions; enhance staff to prepare for and respond to the City's future growth; address the City's infrastructure needs; implement the City's utilities process; and create a recreational space strategic plan.

While the City has taken a very big step in adopting these items, significant effort and dedication is required to make it a reality. Each will be incorporated into the decision making process as well as the organizational culture.

We sincerely look forward to working on the implementation of these important items and the discussion they promote. If you have comments or questions, please don't hesitate to contact the City Administrator Brad Martens at 763-400-7030 or bmartens@ci.corcoran.mn.us .